"Dad?" they said in unison.

"Surprise," Miyamoto muttered behind the second generation. "I thought that, after everything that's been happening, a visit from your parents might help you relax." He formed a nervous smile.

Both Luigi and Mario were quick to straighten up and force a couple of smiles.

"My children," his mother, the second Peach, ran towards them. "Four months without seeing you, I missed you so much," she hugged them, "Especially my little baby," she pinched Luigi's cheeks.

"Mom," he pulled away with a blush.

"You're too skinny."

"Miyamoto told me that I was gaining a little more weight."

"Well now you've gone too low," she observed. "What do you think, Lui?"

"Did Uncle Lui come too?" Luigi asked.

"You even think I would miss the opportunity to see my favorite nephews" the second Luigi appeared "Hey, you've grown a lot, I think you'll be taller than me" he shook his hair.

"And my aunt?"

"On a trip, you already know her," he laughed.

While all this was happening, Mario nervously approached his father.

"You could have told me you were coming, I would have prepared something," he said softly.

"I can see that we arrived at a bad time," he answered.

"It was just Lu having another one of his attacks," he looked away.

"My brother had seizures, several, but I never heard him say that he no longer wanted to be part of the game."

"He's just had a rough semester," he whispered.

He nodded slowly. "Are you done here?"

"We haven't recorded the ax part with Luigi yet."

"We can do it after eating, so we can all calm down, don't you think?" Miyamoto joined the conversation.

"Okay," agreed the second Mario while he looked at his eldest son.

He swallowed and agreed.

Before leaving the room, Luigi exchanged nervous glances with his boyfriend.

The family went to a special dining room inside the academy; along with Daisy, Peach and Miyamoto.

During the meal, the conversation was carried by Miyamoto and the second generation. However, that did not prevent the atmosphere from being too heavy for the minors. The younger ones made each movement cautiously and did not continue until they felt their predecessors' approval of them.

Luigi prayed to every god he could think of that the topic of his relationship with the villains wouldn't come up, but we know Luigi and we know that luck is never on his side.

"Lu," his father spoke suddenly, "You know why we are here, right?"

The aforementioned looked up nervously "Will we do any advertising?"

He forced a laugh. "We are aware of the rumors that have spread through these halls over the past few weeks."

"Oh, yeah, that makes more sense," he murmured.

"You know that your mother and I supported you in almost everything since you were a child. We even let you take off your mustache once, remember?"

"Yes, I looked horrible," he laughed.

"Photo or it didn't happen," Daisy said.

Her best friend just shook her hair with a smile.

"Honey," her mother spoke. "Your father and I discussed it; We do not believe that this experimentation of yours is advisable. We even talked about it with Miyamoto."

"I'm not hurting anyone," he sighed. "I really can't see the problem with me being involved with Bowser."

"BOWSER!?" the second generation shouted as they looked at Miyamoto.

The professor averted his eyes and swallowed.

"You mentioned some villains, we thought you were talking about goombas" the second Mario growled.

"Or koopas of lesser rank," his wife added.

"Nephew, you must be kidding me," his uncle hugged him while he trembled. "Maybe you made a mistake when you said the name and you meant to say Bowter or something like that, right?"

"No," he replied, "He's my friend, my best friend in fact.

"What are you saying?" his father growled.

"He's a good guy," he smiled. "We've talked several times and it makes me happy to be with him. Also, I understand that physically he can be somewhat intimidating, but if you knew him a little, you would realize how sweet he really is."

"It's a joke, right?"

"Dad, I love you and you know it; but I think you're wrong about koopas and various villains in general. The other day they helped me pass a level! I even broke a record!" he got excited. "Miyamoto, tell them."

"Did you let this happen?" The second Mario ignored him as he looked at his eldest son.

"I couldn't notice anything! Lu started running away from me out of nowhere," he replied. "He was running away from Fungwarry and...

"Running away?" His uncle interrupted him. "That's dangerous, you could age faster and die. The academy is safer; everyone is divided into sections and no ghost can hurt you," he said with obvious fear. "You're a Luigi. Can't you see it? THERE'S DANGER. EVERYWHERE!" he shook him.

"But, I don't...

"Bowser and his minions are evil. They rule the dark lands. Dark lands! That's evil."

"In fact it is because they were enslaved for more than five hundred years and they exploited their lands until they destroyed all their vegetation and resources, leaving behind all their landscapes," said Luigi. "Bow explained it to me the other day. See what I'm saying? There's too much history loss that makes us ignorant. I think that if we took the time to get to know them we could make a new type of union that would make the academy much stronger. In addition to making it a much more comfortable experience for everyone, we would no longer have to get hurt."

"Stop it!" Miyamoto stopped him. "Luigi, the rules exist for a reason.

"I understand that, what I don't understand is the justification for these."

Before anyone could respond, the bell rang.

"We have to finish recording," Miyamoto stood up. "And I don't want any inconvenience this time."

"Yes, sir," he growled.

When walking through the hallways, all the students were amazed to meet the old generation, so it was difficult for them to get to the simulation chamber, because they all wanted a photo with the Mario of their childhood. Meanwhile, Luigi's face reflected nothing but boredom; Not even Daisy could shake him out of his listless mood.

He looked around the halls and came across something that caught his attention instantly.

Junior had frozen inside his shell in the middle of the hallway, several of the students had already tried to kick the shell, but it couldn't seem to move.

The human separated from his parents and approached him.

"Hey," he tapped its shell gently, "Is everything okay there?"

The boy poked his head out slightly. "Luigi!" He hugged him as soon as he saw him. "I was with my brothers, but suddenly a lot of people started walking down the hall, I let go of Wendy and I didn't see them anymore." He screamed.

"It's okay, don't worry. Here I am" he smiled at him as he picked him up.

He walked around looking for his boyfriend, but he couldn't see him anywhere. He returned to his family with the koopa in his arms; He explained what happened and, although neither of them was comfortable with the child's presence, they preferred to pretend that he did not exist.

When they reached the chamber, they met the other koopas.

"Junior," Wendy said when she saw the youngest of the brothers, "Where were you!? We were worried about you."

"I found him in the hallways," Luigi answered as he looked at Bowser.

"Thank you," his boyfriend responded and then held his brother. "How are you? Is everything okay with your parents?"

"We both know why they're here," he forced a smile.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, I'll figure out how to convince them," he sighed.

"Luigi" his father called him.

"I have to get back, I'll see you in a bit. I promise not to collapse again," he joked.

"Don't pressure yourself."

"I'll be fine," he turned his back on him.

In the end, the scene was done as planned from the beginning. Luigi took the ax and sent the villains into the void.

"See? It wasn't that difficult, was it?" His father said after a few minutes. His son did not respond, thus causing a heavy sigh from the eldest. "Today your mother, your uncle and I will go to dinner with Miyamoto to discuss some matters. I can trust you not to make any of your escapades, right?"

"Yes, father," he whispered.

"Lu," he forced him to look at him. "You're a good boy and you've done pretty well so far," he held him by the shoulders. "Many believe that being an ally is not complicated, but that's because they don't know how difficult it is to be blind trust in a leader. Right now your faith is confused, you must return to the right path or you could throw everything you have achieved, not only you, but also your ancestors, in the trash."

"I understand," he said. "Have fun at dinner." He left the room.

The hours passed and by eleven at night everyone was already in their rooms.

Bowser had just put the smaller koopalings to bed and was ready to go to sleep as well; However, someone knocked on the door. The king approached confused to open it.

"Lu?" He looked at him.

"Hey," his boyfriend forced a smile. "Is the plan to sleep together still on?"

"You won't get into trouble?"

"Bow, let me stay here tonight, please," he whispered as a tear slid down his cheek.

The koopa looked at him worried and let him pass.

"Do you want to talk about what happened today?" he asked. His boyfriend denied, "Okay, let's just sleep, then."

They entered the bedroom and Luigi sat on the bed. Bowser walked over to his dresser and took the crown.

"Don't use it, please," the human begged.

The koopa nodded and lay down in a ball, like he normally would. The youngest approached him and found a comfortable space next to his shell; He leaned his body against him and fell fast asleep. Bowser wrapped his tail around him in an attempt to make him feel safer.

He didn't know what he had heard, but he could guess the kind of pressure Luigi had to go through.

For his part, Luigi could only sob as he dreamed of his father, Mario, Miyamoto and Peach's words mixing together. Sometimes they formed confusing or curious sentences, but they all had the same warning: 'Stay away or you will ruin everything.'

"Bow," he whispered suddenly.

"Yeah?" he looked at him.

"Sorry, I forgot to make the meatloaf," he screeched.

The koopa only clung to him more and let him cry as much as he needed to.

The next morning, the boy got up early to be in his room when his parents went to pick him up. They would be leaving that afternoon, so Miyamoto gave everyone the day off so the brothers could spend time with them.

They had breakfast on the terrace of the heroes' room together with their respective partners. Daisy was in charge of lifting Luigi's spirits while his father continued with the sermon from the previous day.

Even Peach was doing his part with Mario, who had been scolded during the night.

Then they went to the labyrinth to take a walk; everything seemed to be much calmer than the day before; especially after Luigi promised his parents that he wouldn't quit the game.

They walked calmly until Mario noticed a familiar silhouette.

He pulled his brother and made him look in the same direction as him.

"Isn't that your friend?" He asked.

Luigi was frozen when he saw Bowie admiring some flowers. The koopa noticed the eyes on him and ended up exchanging glances with the brothers.

"What's wrong with you?" Daisy also looked out. She giggled when she saw Bowie and waved.

"Are you okay?" Peach joined in. She looked closely at the boy. "Is that him?" She whispered to Mario.

"It's him," he nodded.

"Is everything okay here?" The second Mario asked as he looked out. He couldn't help but exchange glances with the redhead. "Do you know him?" He asked the younger ones.

"He's Lu's friend," Peach replied.

"I see," he returned his gaze to the boy. "Come here," he ordered.

Bowser looked for his boyfriend, but it seemed like he didn't know what to do. He ended up obeying the second Mario and forced a smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I was going to interrupt your walk," he said to him.

"Don't worry," he also smiled. "I was told that you are a friend of my son, and since Lu doesn't have many friends, I thought it would be wise to meet you." He held out his hand. "Let me introduce myself, I am Mario from the second generation."

"Oh, I know you, sir. I'm a big fan," he lied as he shook his hand. "Your Majesty," he bowed slightly to the second Peach.

Luigi couldn't help but feel a strange kind of deja vu.

"And who do I have the pleasure with?" He heard his father speak to him again.

"My name is Bowie, category: Hero."

"A pleasure."

"He's attractive," the second Peach whispered to the girls.

"Only physically, in attitude he is VERY boring," answered Daisy.

The younger Peach couldn't even focus on the moment; She was finally face to face with the boy who made Luigi a complete mess. How was she supposed to react?

"Would you like to take a walk with us?" asked the second Mario.

"I couldn't, it's your family afternoon," the koopa responded nervously.

"We would be delighted," Peach spoke suddenly. "It's true that Lu doesn't have many friends and we're happy that he finally got one outside of the game, right, sweetheart?" She hugged her boyfriend's arm.

"Uhm, yes," Mario responded with obvious confusion.

"We'll go eat soon. Come with us," the second Peach insisted.

Within seconds, the pleas became more demanding and Bowser could do nothing but agree.

"Why do we want to eat with him?" Mario whispered to his girlfriend as they walked.

"Because it is necessary to have your friends close and your enemies closer," the girl responded. "Besides, your father told you yesterday that you couldn't take your eyes off your brother. Or did he not say that? I think knowing this guy might help you more give you an idea of what might be going on."

"You're a genius," he kissed her hand. "I love you."

On the other hand, Luigi, Bowser and Daisy were walking a few steps behind the adults.

"What were you doing here?" Luigi muttered. "And with the crown."

"Sometimes I like to take walks without causing a fuss," replied the koopa.

"And it had to be just today?"

"I didn't know you guys were going to be here! You can't blame me."

"I know, I'm just stressed. God, if my dad ever finds out...

"He won't do it, I'll cover you," Daisy spoke. "The one who could be a problem is Miyamoto. Does he know what you look like with the crown?"

"Obviously, he gave it to me." He looked at her nervously.

"Miyamoto won't be eating with us today, he's working with Link right now," Luigi said.

"See? Then everything will be fine," the girl smiled.

"How can you say it so confidently?" they asked at the same time.

Luigi grunted and looked away. Her boyfriend approached him and tried to take his hand, but was rejected.

He couldn't help but feel as if his heart sank.

"Don't take it personally. He's pretty stressed right now," Daisy told him.

"I know," Bowser sighed.

They arrived at the same private dining room as the day before.

For the first time in his entire life, Bowser was served by Fungwarry's waiters and they showed him complete respect at all times.

When they sat down, he reached for his boyfriend's hand again under the tablecloths. When his finger touched Luigi's little finger, Luigi seemed to come out of a trance and they exchanged glances. He accepted his hand with a shy smile.

"And tell me, Bowie, are you new?"

"That's right, sir. There's a new game in development."

"A new game? How strange," he laughed. "The truth is that you remind me of someone a lot, but I don't remember who exactly."

"It must be pure coincidence; I think I would remember if I met a legend like you."

"Now you're flattering me," he smiled. "You're seriously chivalrous, your destined one must be a very lucky one."

"I have no destined one."

"Well, you're handsome, I'm sure they won't take long to give you one."

"Anyway, I'm not in a hurry."

"Why? Are you gay or something?" he joked.

The youngest only forced a nervous laugh.

When the food arrived, the atmosphere managed to lighten. They continued talking and Bowser ended up getting along really well with the brothers' mother.

The interrogation continued throughout the meal, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get anything accusatory out of the koopa. Luigi had to admit that he admired too much how his boyfriend could be calm in those moments when he would be going crazy; But his partner's calm attitude made him finally relax as well.

Peach watched them from time to time, each glance only further confirming his suspicions about his brother-in-law's sexuality. However, before she could comment anything, Daisy distracted her with her usual jokes. And since Luigi came out to her friend, she seemed to have become closer to the blonde.

Near the end of the meal, both Bowser and Luigi went to the bathroom.

"God, that was cardiac," the human said.

"You should relax and trust me a little. I handled it well, don't you think?"

"You did excellent; or at least better than I would," he nudged him lightly with his elbow.

"Don't I deserve a prize for that?" He looked at him flirtatiously.

The youngest laughed and gave his partner a quick kiss.

"I love you," he sighed.

"I love you more, Luigi," he held his hands.

"What do you think if I go to your room today and make the meatloaf?"

"You can go, do nothing and I'll be fine anyway," he walked towards the door. "Now, let's get this over with. Your family will be gone soon."

The youngest nodded and followed him out.

It wasn't until they came out that the third person in the bathroom was able to come out of hiding from him.

The second Luigi felt his whole body trembling, he didn't like keeping secrets. It was too much pressure! He looked in the mirror and poured some cold water on himself.

When everyone gathered at the exit of the academy, it seemed that the problems were finally going to end; Unfortunately, a jerk from his uncle worried Luigi again.

"Uncle Lui," he smiled at him. "Is everything okay?"

"Boy, you and your boyfriend should be more discreet," he whispered to him while he trembled. "Do you really think that a bathroom is the best place to let your guard down?"

"Were you there?" He mumbled.

"Just be careful," he hugged him to disguise it. "And don't let anyone realize it. Being gay is the worst misfortune that can happen to a character! Also being a villain's friend," he looked at him intently. "Who says Bowser won't get hungry one day and eat you to satisfy his appetite? Or that one day he sneezes, accidentally breathes fire and burns you alive."

"Ucncle, I'm going to be fine," he pulled away. "But thanks for the warning," he smiled. "Please don't tell dad."

"Luigi's word," he raised a hand. "But I really think you should try to fix this thing about being gay. For your own good."

"Brother, we're leaving!" shouted the second Mario.

"Go!" he replied. "Take that into account," he took one last look at his nephew and left.

And when the young people finally saw them get into the limousine, they felt like they could breathe again.